1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cover for an opening. More particularly, the present invention relates to a movable cover for covering an automotive bay pit, wherein the movable cover has a plurality of panels placed adjacently to one another.
2. Background Art
Automotive service centers are typically provided with one or more service pits. A typical service pit is an opening approximately three feet wide by seventeen feet long. Automobiles or other vehicles are driven over the automotive bay pit for servicing. A pit may be up to eight feet deep and provides an area for a mechanic to stand and access the underside of a vehicle by reaching up through the pit opening.
Automotive bay pits are inherently dangerous to both employees and customers of an automotive service center because of the likelihood of serious injury or death if a person inadvertently steps into the opening of the automotive bay pit. An additional opportunity for serious injury exists if a vehicle tire is inadvertently directed over the pit opening when an operator is attempting to straddle the pit with the vehicle. Instances of workers accidentally stepping into an automotive bay pit are not uncommon since portions of the automotive bay pit remain uncovered by a vehicle when a vehicle is straddling the pit to be serviced. Often, a worker forgets that a portion of the open automotive bay pit extends beyond the front or rear of the vehicle. Therefore, it is not uncommon for injury to occur when a worker attempts to walk either in front of or behind a vehicle to get around the vehicle.
Consequently, it is desirable to provide a retractable automotive bay pit cover that allows access to the underside of a vehicle and that may be used to cover the automotive bay pit to prevent accidents. The desirability of such a cover is recognized in OSHA 1910.23-Guarded Floor Openings.
Previously, attempts have been made to provide movable, or retractable, covers for automotive bay pits. Insofar as applicant is aware, known pit covers have generally been of two types. A first type is made of a retractable net or mesh material that may be opened to allow access to the underside of a vehicle or closed to prevent persons from falling into the pit area. A disadvantage with net-type pit covers is that netting or mesh materials are unstable and may cause an unwary individual who steps on the material to trip and fall. An additional disadvantage of the net-type systems is that the net or mesh must be opened from one end to access a vehicle. Therefore, more of the bay pit is open or exposed than just the portion necessary for access to a vehicle.
A second type of known bay pit cover is provided in the form of a plurality of panels. Although the provision of a plurality of rigid panels eliminates the disadvantages of an unstable surface for use in covering an automotive bay pit, there exist other disadvantages with such covers. Insofar as applicant is aware, known multi-panel bay pit covers are generally of two types. A first type utilizes a plurality of interconnected panels wherein the panels are on rollers and are designed to retract and stack directly above one another. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,242. A disadvantage with an interconnected retractable cover system is, similar to that of the net or mesh design, that the covers must be retracted from one end, thereby exposing more of the pit opening than is necessary.
A second type of pit cover utilizing a plurality of panels utilizes multiple, unconnected panels placed over the length of the pit opening. Such a system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,150. Known pit covers of this type utilize individual panels having rollers affixed thereto. In operation, a mechanic must lift a panel and then roll it over an adjacent panel to create an opening. A difficulty with such a design is that a worker must lift the panel before the panel may be stacked on an adjacent panel. This difficulty is compounded when it is desired to remove two or more panels to open a wider area. To access such an area, an operator or mechanic must lift the second panel high enough to clear the resulting stack of two or more panels. An additional difficulty with such a system is that when the resulting stack of two or more panels is positioned at a location either to the front or to the rear of a vehicle, the panels present a hazard to any worker stepping on the stack since the stacked panels contact one another via rollers.